John attended Dallas Baptist University and Southwestern Theological Seminary. He holds degrees in History/Minor is Sociology (B.S.) and Christian Education (M.A.). He has nearly 10 years of experience in student ministry. John and Krista have been married 6 years and have twin girls (almost 2 years old). John sensed the call to vocational ministry while still in high school. John explains his personal mission: “My goal as a Student Minister is to come alongside of parents and help students form a worldview that is Christ-centered and focused on servanthood. My passion comes from seeing how God can ignite a fire within students’ hearts and how that impacts them (and the people they impact) for years to come.”

John & Krista Robbins

THE PROCESS OF SELECTING A CANDIDATE
The POSM Search Team has reviewed dozens and dozens of resumes sent to Waterbrook by potential candidates. After conducting interviews with several strong contenders the team has unanimously given John’s name to the Elder Council as the recommended candidate for the Waterbrook position. The Elder Council spent time interviewing John and Krista last weekend and have agreed to have him candidate this weekend, February 21-22.

CANDIDATING THIS WEEKEND
John and Krista will be participating in several activities designed to make sure John is a fit for our student ministry. Here is a list of the events. Please note if any of these apply to you.Saturday, February 219:00 a.m. – YOUTH MINISTRY STAFF
They will begin by having breakfast with our current student ministry volunteer staff.10:30 a.m. – PARENTS OF WAVE & RUSH Students
ALL parents of Wave & Rush students are invited to join us at the 507 Building for a meeting in which John will introduce himself and his philosphy/style of ministry. This will be an open time of Q&A for parents to interact with John and Krista. [This is not a student event. Parents of students approaching Wave-age are welcome to attend.]Noon – STAFF LUNCH
John & Krista will have lunch with our current staff and families to get to know one another.6:00 p.m. – UPDATED!! STUDENT GAME NIGHT
All Wave AND Rush students are encouraged to attend a game night and hangout with John and Krista. We’ll be hanging out at Waterbrook from 6:00 to 8:30 PM for a game night with our youth pastor candidate and current leaders from Rush & Wave. We’ve ADDED FOOD to the event with hot dogs grilled out and chips. Students are being asked to bring a dessert to share. More information is available for parents and students on the Rush & Wave Facebook pages and via emails sent this week. Contact leaders with questions. [Please note this is not a parent event. We want students to have full access to our candidate at this event.]Sunday, February 22
John & Krista will be introduced to the congregation in both worship services. John will be teaching both Wave and Rush students during the second service (regular Wave/Rush class time).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
What follows the candidating weekend is a review of the weekend by the Elder Council and a decision on whether or not to hire our candidate. The position of ministerial, other than lead/teaching pastor(s), is explained in our bylaws: “When a ministerial position is to be established or filled, a Minister Search Committee shall be established consisting of two (2) members of the Council of Elders and two (2) members-at-large, selected from the Church membership by the Nominating Committee. Recommendations will be presented to the Council of Elders for their approval. New ministerial staff positions will be formally introduced to the membership of the Church.” Our process in this search has been much more involved and we involved both a larger search team and a candidating weekend not required in our bylaws. We value the input of our members, parents and students, and have sought to give others a voice in the process before making an official hire. Due to the specific nature of this position and limited time available, we have narrowed our candidate’s interaction to those involved in our current student ministry. However, we hope our entire congregation will remain involved by praying for God’s will and direction in this important decision. As one elder said, “We’re talking about someone who will be impacting our students. This is a very important decision.”

I hope you’ll get a chance to personally meet John & Krista Robbins this weekend of candidating, but if not, we’ll have a churchwide welcoming event in the event he is officially hired. We’re blessed at Waterbrook to have a church family who is so supportive and encouraging of our student ministries!

If the weekend goes well and John is offered the position, we anticipate him starting at Waterbrook on or before April 1st. For all of us who have been involved in this search for months – that’s not April Fool’s Joke!